The information has been obtained from printed timetables and
other local sources (like taking the bus) and is given in good
faith.

Local buses between Albufeira and nearby places - summary

Albufeira Bus Terminal is on the outskirts of town
about 1.6km / 1 mile from the old town.

Most of these buses DO NOT pass through
the town centre or the main hotel areas.

Allow yourself enough time to get to there! There is more
information here.
Maps for Albufeira including location of the bus station /
terminal, are here.
Large map of old town showing different bus stops and other
transport information here.

When boarding at the Bus Terminal, you must buy
your ticket from the ticket office, except when boarding the Frota
Azul bus to Messines or the local GIRO buses. Allow a few minutes
for this. If boarding elsewhere, pay the driver as usual. Change
is given, but try to have small change or at most a €10 note!

DIRECT
LINKS TO TIMETABLE PAGES
For more detail about these routes scroll down the page
Buses between Albufeira and most of these places do NOT
have route numbers as they do in most countries.

All buses towards Ferreiras and beyond also stop at Camping Albufeira
(the stops on the main road not the grey one just outside) about 5
minutes after leaving the bus station. Camping Albufeira is also
served by the GIRO Red Route number 1 - click here
for timetable and the Linha Laranja - see below. Camping Albufeira
is opposite the Clube Albufeira resort complex.

For full detail including links to maps and timetables, please
click here. Official GIRO route
map here.

Maps are available locally. They are not on display at many bus
stops. Timetables are NOT published, even though the buses run
only every half hour at best. Buses normally used have low steps
also a wheelchair ramp and are accessible to disabled persons.
Fifteen seat minibuses are now being used on some journeys on
weekdays and most journeys at weekends. These have a wheelchair
and buggy space at the back with a ramp.
Picture to right >>>>>

Cash Fare is €1.40**, a one day ticket is €4.00. If
you intend to use the service a lot, you can buy a re-chargeable
pre-pay pass from the Bus Shop in Avenida da Liberdade (Old Town
/Centro Antigo) or at the Bus Station. You can by ten rides for
€8 (ie 80 cents instead of €1,40) or 20 rides for €16,
but you do have to pay a fee of €3 for the card itself. A
monthly pass with unlimited journeys is €18, photo required. A
Seniors monthly pass (you must be over 65) is €11 per month,
photo and proof of age required. Card re-charges are only
available at the Bus Shop or Bus Station. You can also pick up
the route map at these places. Pre-pay passes will
deactivate if not used for 3 months. Adding credit will
reactivate them. Pre-paid cards are refunded if you return them,
but unused fares are not refunded.

** single tickets are valid for one hour after first issue. You
can use the same ticket to change to another GIRO bus to complete
your trip. If you are asked to change buses at the bus station,
show your ticket to the second driver. You do not pay again.

GIRO TICKETS AND PASSES CANNOT BE USED ON OTHER BUSES, nor
can tickets from EVA or Frota Azul be used on GIRO.

GIRO hours of service - summer
times apply from 1st June to 30th September

Weekday departures from
the bus terminal on all routes (except Laranja) are at 0700, 0730
then allegedly every half hour until 1900 in winter and 2100 in
summer. In practice the departures wait while the drivers finish
chatting. On Saturdays
buses leave every half hour from 0700 until 1400, then every hour
until 1900 in winter, 2100 in summer. On Sundays and Holidays
buses leave once an hour from 0700 to 1900 in winter, 2100 in
summer.

Last buses are therefore passing through the main part of town,
depending on where you are, in winter between 1915 and 1945, in
summer between 2115 and 2145.

For a summary of bus times in the old town area, click here. Will open
in a new window.

The Linha Laranja
to Ferreiras and the railway station leaves at 0640 then every
half hour until 2040 in winter, 2240 in summer.

GIRO Linha Laranja (Orange) route. Buses every 30 minutes, seven
days a week.Timetable here These buses stop
on the main road at Camping Albufeira and not at the bus stop
immediately outside the entrance. They do NOT go to the old town nor
is there a decent connection in either direction.

Flat fare €1,40 cash, 80 cents with pre-pay GIRO pass card. The pass
card costs €3 and can be purchased at the Bus Station or town centre
Bus Shop. You can load it with either 10 or 20 journeys. The pass is
valid on all GIRO routes
but no others.

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FOR A SUMMARY OF THE LAST BUSES BACK TO ALBUFEIRA FROM THE
PLACES BELOW, PLEASE CLICK HERE

FOR A SUMMARY OF THE LAST BUSES FROM ALBUFEIRA TO THE PLACES
BELOW, PLEASE CLICK HERE
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Albufeira – Ferreiras – Algoz – Silves

Journey times Ferreiras 8 minutes, Algoz 20 – 24, Silves 40 –45.

One way fare Albufeira to Silves €4.50, to Algoz €3.40.

Buses to Silves suitable for a day out leave Albufeira on
weekdays at 0720, 0805, 0945 and 1235, Saturdays at 0805, 0945 and
1235, Sundays and Holidays only at 0805 and 1235. They stop in
outside Albufeira Camping (opposite Clube Albufeira) five minutes
and at Ferreiras eight minutes after leaving Albufeira.

Buses back from Silves after a day out are on weekdays at 1335,
1700 and 1830, Saturdays at 1335 and 1830 and on Sundays and
Holidays only at 1830.

There are other buses, including a later return journey at
weekends, between Albufeira and Messines, via Guia, click here and these buses also stop along
the 'main road' across Albufeira at Areais São João (the strip
end) and at the 'Watches' roundabout by the supermarkets.

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Albufeira – Loulé via Fontainhas and Boliqueime,
also to Mar Shopping and IKEA

Journey 40 minutes one way fare €4.50. Inbound buses stop a few
minutes walk from the Saturday morning outdoor tourist market. For
the indoor market go to the bus station and walk about 5 minutes.
These buses run via the Montechoro area - see map.

Weekdays : six buses each way, Saturdays : five buses each way,
Sundays and Holidays : four buses each way.

Times from Albufeira suitable for a day out : weekdays at 0800,
0840, 1015 and 1205. Saturdays at 0845, 1015 and 1205, Sundays and
Holidays only at 0845 and 1205.

Coming back from Loulé in the afternoon and evening : weekdays at
1340, 1640 and 1815, Saturdays at 1325, 1515 and 1825, Sundays and
Holidays only at 1515 and 1825. Be warned that the 1640 bus
from Loulé on schooldays is extremely crowded!

Mar Shopping and IKEA near Loulé - there are very few buses! A
free service was operating five times every day in summer 2018.
I never saw anyone on it. There was NO local publicity. Whether
it will run in 2019 is anyone's guess! SUMMARY OF BUSES BETWEEN
ALBUFEIRA AND MAR SHOPPING BACK HERE

Runs via Old Town (Avenida do Ténis) and São Rafael / Sesmarias.
Most buses continue beyond Galé to Salgados, some further onwards
to Vale de Parra and Guia. Fare Albufeira - Galé is €2.35 - these
buses do NOT go to Algave Shopping. The village of Guia where they
stop is about 1.5km away walking along a dangerous road.

There are seven buses a day in both directions between Albufeira
and Salgados (with gaps in morning and afternoon of some 3 hours
without a bus!) plus an extra one on schooldays only. No service
on this route on Sundays or holidays in winter ie after second
weekend of September until 1st July. Saturday service in winter is
limited.

Albufeira - Guia (Algarve Shopping and the
village)

Guia is served by various buses that run between Albufeira, Lagoa
and Portimão – click here for times -
these stop outside the Algarve Shopping Mall (but 300 yards from
Albufeira Retail Park) which is about ¾ mile / 1.3km outside Guia
village.

Journey about 10 minutes by EVA bus - fare is €3.40. Buses are
irregular and at weekends quite infrequent. First bus towards Guia
is at 0755 on weekdays, 0840 at weekends and on holidays. Last bus
on weekdays is at 2030, at weekends and holidays at 1910. Last bus
from Guia to Albufeira is at 1915hrs daily.

Guia is also served by the Frota Azul bus towards Messines - see
below - journey about 15 minutes from the bus
terminal, 20 minutes from Areais São João. This does not go via
Algarve Shopping, which is ¾ mile / 1.3km from Guia itself. Fare
on that bus is €2.35.

There is a free bus between certain hotels in Olhos D'Agua and
Albufeira to and from Algarve Shopping ON WEEKDAYS ONLY From Mid -
March until mid - October. Details here.

Albufeira - Balaia - Olhos D'Água

One way fare €2,35. Frequent but irregular service on weekdays,
infrequent at weekends especially in the mornings towards
Albufeira, in the afternoons going back. Last bus from Albufeira
on weekdays is at 1930, weekends and holidays at 1845. Times of al
the buses between Albufeira and Olhos D'Agua in both directions HERE

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Albufeira – Quinta da Balaia - Branqueira - Vale
Navio (north end)

Served regularly by Albufeira GIRO
Bus Vermelha 2. Every 30 minutes
weekdays and also Saturdays until 1430hrs, every hour
otherwise. Cash fare €1,40

Six buses each way weekdays; four buses each way on Saturdays,
Sundays and Holidays. Starts from Areais São João (the strip) and
stops at the Continente Modelo shopping centre near McDonald's
then via Albufeira Bus Station. The nearest stop to the old town
is near the 'Dolphins' roundabout at the Avenida do Ténis traffic
lights.

FULL TIMETABLE click here.
These buses do NOT go to Algarve Shopping, which is 1.5km from
Guia village centre.

Guia is also served by the various buses towards Lagoa and
Portimão – click here for times

Páteo is also served twice every hour (hourly on Saturday
afternoons, all day Sunday and Holidays) by the GIRO Linha
Vermelha 1 bus - see below

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TRANSRÁPIDO FAST BUS FARO - ALBUFEIRA

Seven buses each way on weekdays, but only two on Saturdays,
Sundays and Holidays. Albufeira to Faro takes about 45 minutes. In
Albufeira this bus stops only in the bus station. It also stops at
Guia and at Algarve Shopping.Times in detail here.

For a printable copy of the official timetable leaflet (external
link in a new window) click here. Fare is €4,90.

Buses from Albufeira to Faro on weekdays at 0705, 0805, 0945,
1145, 1350, 1615 and 1830. At weekends and on holidays only at
0945 and 1615.

Coming back from Faro they leave on weekdays at 0800, 0905, 1230,
1430, 1625, 1725 and 1940. At weekends and on holidays only at
1230 and 1725.

There are other, much slower, buses between Albufeira and Faro
via Vilamoura and Quarteira - see below.

In Albufeira these buses stop only in the bus station. They also
stop at Guia and Algarve Shopping. Times in detail here.
For a printable copy of the official Albufeira - Lagos timetable
leaflet (external link in a new window) click here. For the official
timetable for the Transrápido buses between Albufeira, Portimão
and Lagos (also external link) click here.

Journey to Praia da Rocha is about an hour, Alvor 1 hour 10
minutes. Weekdays - direct buses from Albufeira suitable for a day
out leave at 0835, 0910 and 1030. At weekends and on public
holidays they leave at 0910 and 1030 only. Buses back from Alvor
at 1620 and 1820 daily, these stop in Praia da Rocha at 1635 and
1835 respectively.

Fast buses from Albufeira to Lagos via Portimão, suitable for a
day out, leave on weekdays at 0835, 0855, 0910, 1000 and 1030,
weekends and holidays only at 0910 and 1030.

The last buses from Lagos to Albufeira are at 1600 and 1800hrs
daily, also at 1715 on weekdays. These stop at Portimão at 1640,
1740 and 1840 respectively.

There are other buses between Albufeira and Portimão. The last
bus back to Albufeira from Portimão is the 1840, every day.

ALBUFEIRA TO
VILAMOURA AND BACK

Journey about 40 minutes, one way fare €4,30. Buses run once or
twice an hour on weekdays, less often at weekends. In Vilamoura
all buses in BOTH DIRECTIONS use the exact same stops because of
the one-way traffic system. The main bus stop in Vilamoura (Praia
da Marina) is near the Casino and the Dom Pedro hotels - map here.

Buses leave from the bus station in Albufeira, then run via
Continente / Modelo along the main road, then stop at the 'strip',
Santa Eulalia, Balaia etc. Click the map to see it larger size.

Buses from Albufeira to Vilamoura suitable for a day out
(discounting those before 0900hrs!) leave on weekdays at : 0930,
1000, 1045, 1130, 1235 and 1330. At weekends and on holidays they
leave only at 0930, 1135 and 1335. Coming back on weekday
afternoons they leave at 1557, 1637, 1657, 1707, 1747, 1847, 1932
and 1952. At weekends and on holidays the only buses back after
1500hrs are at 1517, 1657, 1747 and 1932.

Times in detail towards Vilamoura here
and coming back here including times at
the other places in Albufeira where these buses stop.

The buses to Faro also stop at the Quarteira outdoor market at
Fonte Santa, about 10 minutes after Vilamoura. Check the
timetables etc here.

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ALBUFEIRA AND CARVOEIRO

There are no direct buses. The journey can be done six times on
weekdays, four times each way at weekends and holidays, but some
long waits may be required when changing buses in Lagoa. Summary
of timetables here.
Fares : Albufeira - Lagoa €4,50 and Lagoa - Carvoeiro €2,35.

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ALBUFEIRA TOURIST TRAIN

This links 'The Strip', Forte do Vale area, old town and Brisa
Sol. This runs every 20 minutes every day from about 0900 until
about 1800 in winter then every 40 minutes until about 2200, every
20 minutes from 0900 until midnight in summer. Details on their
website here.

For a list of all the timetables on the site,
click here
For an alphabetical list of places in the Algarve, click here
For some important general notes about buses in the Algarve, click
here
Back to the main page here